Hurricane Iota now a 140 knot (161 mph) Category 5 Hurricane
Hurricane Iota Discussion Number 13
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL312020
1000 AM EST Mon Nov 16 2020
Iota is a very impressive hurricane, especially for this late in the
year, with a distinct, warm eye on satellite images and a rather
electrified eyewall from the GOES lightning detector. An Air Force
Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft found maximum 700-mb flight-winds
of about 147 kt, with SFMR values of 140-145 kt, and a central
pressure of about 917 mb. A blend of all these data leads to an
initial wind speed of 140 kt, making Iota a category 5 hurricane,
the latest category 5 on record for the Atlantic basin. A little
more strengthening is possible today with fairly light shear and
warm waters before Iota makes landfall tonight. Rapid weakening is
anticipated over central America, and Iota should dissipate in a
couple of days.
The hurricane is moving westward at 9 kt. This general motion with
perhaps a slight gain in latitude is expected through tonight due
to a large ridge of the high pressure to the north. After
landfall, the cyclone should move a little faster, and dissipate
over the higher terrain of central America. The new forecast is a
little south of the previous one, mostly owing to the initial
position.
This is a catastrophic situation unfolding for northeastern
Nicaragua with an extreme storm surge of 15-20 ft forecast along
with destructive winds and potentially 30 inches of rainfall, and
it is exacerbated by the fact that it should make landfall in
almost the exact same location that category 4 Hurricane Eta did
about two weeks ago.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCDAT1+shtml/161453.shtml
The eastern 2/3 of Nicaragua and Honduras are mostly tropical rain forest and thinly populated except for small towns on the coast.